Guest Author - Hellie T.

An English Garden in the summer months is well known for its riot of colour and beautiful scents. As summer fades there is no reason why your autumn garden shouldn’t be just as delightful.

There are several shrubs that bloom from summer into autumn.

Buddleja davidii, the butterfly bush will flower into October with its long spires of purple flowers and delicate scent.

Ceanothus Autumnal Blue or Gloire de Versailles will give you scented blue flowers until the end of October.

Mexican Orange Blossom is a evergreen shrub with dark green leaves, and clusters of fragrant, pinky/white blooms in late spring and early autumn.

Viburnum bodnantense Dawn has dark pink scented flowers in late autumn through winter.

Jasmine Officinale has lovely white scented flowers from June through to October but will need some support.As will honeysuckle – Lonicera japonica which has beautiful white/yellow flowers until the first frosts.

Roses - all these are easy to grow with good disease resistance.

Geoff Hamilton is an lovely apple-scented rose with soft pink petals.
Scepter'd Isle- is a beautiful soft pink with strong fragrant blooms.
Gertrude Jekyll - has double deep pink, fragrant flowers with greyish green leaves it is one of my favouritesand always gives a good show until the first frosts.
Pat Austin - reliable rose with sScented blooms of copper and yellow.

Perennials

Chinese chives have white blooms that flower all autumn and attract bees and butterflies. The scent is pleasantly oniony!

Cyclamen - autumn flowering - they have beautiful scented pink flowers until early winter.

Galtonia Candicans has a mass of white bell-shaped fragrant flowers from late August to early October.

Phlox paniculata is a classic late-summer border perennial that has glorious heads of scented blooms. They are available in pinks, red, white, purple and shades of orange They are very easy to grow.

Pinks will flower well into October and there is a great range to choose from but make sure you opt for the strongly scented ones.

Salvia microphylla has scented leaves and crimson flowers – best in a sunny sheltered spot.


Annuals and Biennials

Blue woodruff – Asperula orientalis has violet blue scented flowers.

Centaurea moschata or sweet sultan has fluffy strongly scented flowers in early autumn – it comes in pinks, white and purple.

Scabiosa –sweet Scabious has dark purple, pink or white scented flowers.

Verbena will flower until mid October with lilac/purple flowers.

It is worth visiting your local garden centre or plant mart to look for plants that will bloom in the autumn - check the label to make sure they are scented - as plants that you put in in the spring will have time to get established for an autumn flowering.

Enjoy your garden!